The Witch of Gotham
by Irena Goddess of Imagination
Summary: Gotham City, prepare to meet Ruby. She is not on the good side or the bad side, but she will bring Gotham's villains and heroes alike to their knees. Set a few months after TDK.
1. Chapter 1

Red lipstick…

Glasses…

Hairpin…

Hood…

Gloves…

Bag of tricks…

Everything was ready. All these items Ruby needed for her mission. She loved how some things as simple as a hood and glasses could conceal her face enough to protect her identity, or how something as small as a hairpin could be used to pick the lock to the most secure places in the world.

She slicked back her short hair to keep it out of her face, laced up her comfortable black boots, and stepped out of the car parked in a dense forest… not far from Arkham Asylum.

Ruby had it all planned out. She simply walked up to the gates of the asylum, staying out of view of the guards and the security cameras. She took out of her bag something a regular person would call a smoke bomb, only hers was much more powerful. She dropped it, and a fog set in, so thick and so quickly that the guards didn't even have time to get out their flashlights before Ruby had climbed over the gate (and quite gracefully for a thirty-nine-year-old, I might add). And those stupid guards would just think it was an unusual change in weather.

Taking her time, she walked up the path to the front doors of the asylum. Time to get her acting on. She pounded on the doors and screamed, "Please, somebody help! Help! The monsters are chasing me! Oh God! They're horrible! Please help me!…" If she had a dime for every time she had used her acting skills to get what she wanted, she could buy all of Wayne Enterprise.

The guard at the door came dashing out to help the "deranged" woman. Careful to not let him see her face under her hood, she took a pinch of powder from her back and dashed it in the guard's face. His eyes turned cloudy, and his muscles relaxed. Ruby walked him over to his chair and went on her way.

She found her way to the nearest closet in an empty hallway and changed out of her all-black costume that helped her stay hidden in the night, and into her nurse's disguise. She even had her own swipe card and fake ID for the asylum. She put on a wig, glasses, and a nurse's mask.

"Scarecrow, Joker, here I come."


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby found the files on the two Arkham patients she was looking for. She memorized their room numbers and found their locations on a map of the asylum. After a quick stop to swipe some meds from the nurse's station, she headed to the security guard supervising the security cameras. Incapacitating him was all too easy; she just threw the same powder she had used on the other guard. She tampered with the computers, effectively shutting down all cameras in the asylum. Now she could do almost anything she wanted in the asylum without getting caught, but she couldn't take her time, as the powder's effects only lasted so long.

She found Dr. Crane's cell, I mean room, first. He was sitting on the floor in a straight jacket, staring at the padded walls. "Come to read me a bedtime story?" he asked.

"Maybe"

"You're new here."

"But not here to stay." Ruby did her work quickly. She gave him an injection, and said, "I'll bet you weren't expecting that."

He tried to say something, but was already losing consciousness.

"It's alright." she whispered. "Sweet dreams."

Now for the Joker.

"Fresh meat," he said when Ruby came through the door. "I haven't seen you before, pretty."

"Now just relax Mr. Joker," said as she gave him his injection. He looked so different without that clown makeup. She wondered if he felt exposed without it. After wearing the makeup for so long, he probably thought of it as his natural face. Wouldn't he get a pleasant surprise when he woke up.

For the final part of her plan, she put on her lipstick. She found the two nearest strong-looking men and kissed them straight on the lips. Her lipstick made them her slaves… she got the idea from some lady who was obsessed with plants. She ordered the men to put both the Joker and the Scarecrow on gurneys in the back of an Arkham Asylum truck. "And be gentle with them," she ordered.

Ruby changed out of her nurse disguise. She tried to make her two boys comfortable with pillows, blankets, and handcuffs in case they came around sooner than expected. "My sleeping angels," she said with a sigh. She kissed them both on the cheek.

And she drove off, stealing a truck and two of Gotham City's most dangerous criminals.

* * *

**Thanks to the readers! Constructive criticism is always welcome. Have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Wakey, wakey Dr. Crane," said Ruby as she gently nudged him on the shoulder. "I have a present for you."

Dr. Crane stirred.

"Good morning, angel face," she said.

He tried to sit up, until he realized that he was handcuffed to the bed.

"That was just a precaution, given your reputation. But you wouldn't want to hurt this pretty little face, now would you?"

"Who are you and where am I?"

"Hush now, sweet thing. Mama's not gonna hurt you. This is my humble home. It's your home now, too. My name's Ruby, but I prefer to be called 'Mother' and I would love to be your new Mommy."

Dr. Crane didn't know what to make of this woman. She was tall, with brown hair, and intense green eyes. She looked to be in her late thirties. He tried to look around the room to get some idea of where he was. The room was small, with floral wall paper. An older-looking rocking chair sat in the corner. This home must've been fairly old.

"Your present," she said, holding a box. She opened it and pulled out a suit, like the kind he often wore during court cases. Next, she pulled out his glasses. "You have to be able to see. I'll bet those mean people at the asylum never let you see." She put the glasses on his face. "I think you'll like this the best." She reached into the box and grabbed his Scarecrow mask. "Unfortunately, I don't have any of your fear gas with me. Getting the rest was hard enough."

She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him on the lips. "I'm gonna go make you some breakfast. You must be starving." On her way out the door, she said, "Be good!"

She checked on the Joker next. She barely touched him and he woke with a start. "Aw, sweetheart, did you have a nightmare?" She looked down at his cuffed wrists. They were bloody. He had been struggling in his sleep. "Poor baby."

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Ruby, your new mother. Let me go get something for those wrists. I'll be right back."

When she returned, she cleaned off the wounds and wrapped them in bandages.

"Do you have any booze?" he finally asked.

Ruby just stared at him.

"For the pain."

"I have some over-the-counter medications if your wrists hurt that badly."

"Never mind."

"With those manners, you might not get your present."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am."

"That's my good boy." She went to the closet and pulled out another box. From the box came the Joker's purple suit, with plenty of makeup and green hair dye. The Joker grinned. "If you're really good, I'll let you blow something up, but in the meantime, I'm going to make you something to eat." She kissed him on the lips, "Welcome to your new home."


	4. Chapter 4

"BOYS! BREAKFAST IS READY!" called Ruby, and then she remembered that her boys were still restrained by handcuffs.

She went to Dr. Crane's room. "You can quit trying to pick the lock on the cuffs, darling, I'm going to release you anyway. I just wanted to see what you'd do if I left my hairpin within your reach. Let's hope you'd pick that lock faster in an actual kidnapping situation."

She took the key and released Dr. Crane.

"What do you want with me?"

"Haven't I made it perfectly clear? I want to be your mother. Why else would I have swept you away from that awful, dark, scary place? Don't think I'm oblivious to what happens behind the scenes. I know how the patients are treated behind closed doors. Not to say you were totally innocent. And that leads me to a rule of my house: No fear gas for innocent people!" She gave him a slight slap on the wrist with a rolled-up magazine. "Well, I'll let you get dressed. I hope you like your eggs scrambled!"

When Ruby unlocked the Joker's handcuffs, he instantly had her pinned against the wall and started choking her. "Release me!" she managed to say. And he did. He let her go. "Do you honestly think I would invite two criminal psychopaths into my home without some sort of protection? I kissed you with a dose of my lipstick, and now you're completely under my control."

At his silence, she realized he was still under her spell. "Oh, right. _Libertatem_. Now you're free again, until I say otherwise."

"Nice magic trick."

"There's loads more where that came from, now get dressed so we can have our first family meal together."

Ruby slid plates to her boys which had eggs and bacon smiley faces, which gave the Joker a laugh. "First order of business: we need to lay down a few ground rules. I know you don't like rules, Joker, but every family needs rules, and I think we could have a wonderful little family right here."

Dr. Crane spoke up, "I'm sorry, exactly when did we become a family? I've never seen you before in my life."

"Watch your tone with your mother, young man. And we became a family last night when I had two guys carry your unconscious bodies into a truck and I took you home. Is that a sufficient answer for you?"

"I don't do the whole family thing," said the Joker. "I hated my father."

"Well that's what mothers are for, dear. Now, onto the ground rules:

One, No fighting each other. You're both equally loved by your mother. There's no need for sibling rivalry.

Two, No guns, knives, explosives, drugs, toxins, attack dogs, or weapons of any kind in the house. You can save that for the garage.

Three, No running away. You're not prisoners here. I wouldn't bust you out of Arkham just to make you inmates in my house. You wouldn't get far, anyway if you did try to run. I've got a spell that's binding you to this house. We can take outings every so often with my permission, but I can't see why you'd want to leave. The police would never find you here.

Four, No killing, or injuring, or kidnapping innocent people. I've got a few jobs for you to do which might tempt you.

Five, No intentional destruction to private or public property, especially not my property.

Six, If you're going to steal, steal from criminals, and be smart about it.

Seven, Above all, stay safe. I want both my boys coming home in one piece. Make Mommy proud."

"Did you say there was a spell keeping us here?" asked Dr. Crane.

"And I'd like to know what these 'jobs' are," said the Joker.

"I'll answer your questions one at a time, boys. To clear up any confusion, I'm Ruby. I'm a witch. Magic has been in my family for over 300 years."

"And I thought _I_ was losing it," mumbled the Joker.

"I didn't expect you to believe me that fast." Ruby picked a wilted azalea from the vase on the table and cupped it in the palms of her hands. When she held it up again, it was blooming and fresh with life.

"Whatever. You've got powers. What I care about is what I can do with those powers," said the Joker.

"We're going to turn Gotham City upside down."

"I see. So really you've just taken us out of Arkham just so we can do your dirty work for you."

"Not at all. We're going to bring justice to this city; we're just going to do it my way. And for your information, I'll be going along with you every step of the way.

"What makes you think we'll just agree to all of this?" interjected Dr. Crane.

"Joker here can tell you about that. I've put a spell on both of you. I can make you my servants at any moment. If you don't do what I say by your own free will, your will becomes mine. And it's not like what we're going to do is much different than what you've done before you went to the asylum, just with a little twist."

"What's first on our list?" asked Joker.

"Well first, you boys are going to needs your toys back. Once that's taken care of, we're going to steal from the leading mob in Gotham… and we're going to give the money to an orphanage. The Scarecrow and the Joker will once again be at large."

"When would you like all of this to be done?" asked Dr. Crane.

"I was hoping to be done and home in time for afternoon tea."

* * *

**Author's Note: When I say that Ruby is a witch, I do not mean to offend any Wiccans or any other witches. I'm just telling a supernatural story.**


	5. Chapter 5

After Ruby made her boys help clean up after breakfast, she said, "So, here's the plan: We're going to simultaneously pick up supplies from three different locations. To do this, we're going to need some pawns. I'm going to use the same spell I used on you two, but they'll be temporarily under _your_ control. They're the most low-life criminals in Gotham— rapists, murderers, and wife-beaters. Go ahead and kill them when you were done; they'll be missed by no one. Be warned, they'll only be under your control until exactly 2:45. That's when the spell wears off.

Dr. Crane, you're going to fetch some of the Joker's favorite toys from the nearest mob headquarters. Pick any one. It doesn't matter. Just gather any weapons or other supplies you think we might need."

"And don't forget the playing cards," said Joker.

"Yes, bring back some playing cards. I'll be taking the fear gas from the vault the police have it locked in.

And Mr. Joker, you'll be in charge of causing a distraction. Have some fun with it, but remember rule number four. Now that we've got that all settled, let's get to work. And, if either of you deviates from the plan, I will know and you will be punished. We'll all meet back here when it's over."

She kissed Dr. Crane on the forehead. "The rest is up to you. You're both clever enough for these tasks. Just follow my rules."

She kissed the Joker on the forehead. "Be careful. Be safe. Make Mommy proud. And I have a special job for you before we go. I need you to blow up the Arkham truck, just in case the police come by."

"I know what you are. You're a _schemer_. You're just like everyone else, with their ridiculous plans. Well one day, your _plans_ are going to drive you off the deep end," said Joker.

"You didn't kiss your mother goodbye." And Ruby put him under her spell again, so he kissed her on the cheek. She clapped her hands together, "Let's go surprise Gotham!"

* * *

Ruby puckered up her lips with the poisonous lipstick. They were headed to the darkest, filthiest part of the Narrows, where it wouldn't be hard to find some worthless felons to make her slaves. After she rounded up and kissed a dozen or so, she corralled them to the back of her van, where they hypnotically sat with blank stares on their faces. "You boys can take the van. I'll use my charm to have someone give me a ride. See you later!"

She found the nearest biker thug and used her magic on him. He drove her to the police station, where she knew the fear gas was locked. Now all she had to do was wait for the Joker's distraction, and there would be, without a doubt, every officer in Gotham chasing after him.

It didn't take long before fleets of police cars were rushing out of the station. She wondered what that boy was up to. She made her way up to the doors to the station. She expected that there would be a few officers holding down the fort, so she had her bag ready. She made sure she had her sunglasses on and her hood up to conceal her identity. She walked up to the front desk and didn't spare any words; she just threw her powder in the officer's face and walked right by.

She found the storage room where they kept evidence from old cases. She found the boxes labeled "Crane" and pulled out cylinders of the fear toxin. There was just enough room in her bag to carry all of them. She was careful, and wore her leather gloves to not leave any finger prints behind. On her way out, she used her trusty lipstick to make an officer tell her the password to the computers, which she used to delete the security footage of her in the station. It would be like she was never there.

* * *

Scarecrow loved the idea of having mindless puppets to help him take care of business. Maybe working with this Ruby lady wouldn't be so bad. It was fairly easy for him to break into the drug lord's lovely little hotel room and steal all of his guns. A couple of his henchmen were shot down by the lord's guards, but Jonathan didn't mind. He was, however, a little disappointed that blood was spilled on the nice carpet. It felt good to be back in business.

* * *

The Joker was having a marvelous time parading down the streets, creating havoc everywhere he went. First, he painted a statue of one of Gotham's most respected, honorable, heroic blah blah blah figures. The face on the statue was just too serious for his taste, so he painted a big smile on it. As for Ruby's wishes, he didn't hurt any innocent civilians. Whatever. He was just happy to be out of the nuthouse, and if it meant that he had to play by a few of a witch's rules, then it didn't matter as long as he was having fun. When he heard the police sirens, he then escaped while one of his henchmen acted as a decoy. From a distance, the police would've mistaken the henchman dressed in purple with his face painted for the actual Joker. The henchman might've been shot down. He didn't care either way. He was too busy laughing.

* * *

When they all met back at Ruby's house, she gave them both big hugs. "You boys made me so proud today! I knew we could be successful together. I hope you won't mind adjusting to life in the country. As you can see, my house is quite far out of city limits. The nearest neighbor lives two miles away. I hope you'll find it to be a nice, relaxing place to settle down. Now I'm going to make us all a nice supper. You two have earned it."

And so they sat down for their second family meal, still in their full outfits from the day. They turned on the evening news to see a special report on the Joker's antics, and another news story about a break-in at a hotel where five known drug dealers were found dead. And Ruby clapped for her boys. It seemed her family was really coming together.

* * *

**Author's Note: This story was mainly inspired by the episode of Supernatural "Girls, Girls, Girls" and the Batman movies of course.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Boys, today we're going bank robbing. Won't that be fun? I've chosen a mob bank that a certain masked vigilante has overlooked. I know for a fact that none of the bills are marked, so no one will be able to trace them. This is so exciting! We're all going to be together this time. And be sure to refer to me as 'Mother' whenever we're out. I don't want my name slipping out."

She was dressed in all black, and she slipped on a mask, like the masquerade kind. It covered most of her face. They loaded their guns and Ruby said, "Remember rule number four: No hurting innocent people."

"Do they count as innocent if they start shooting at us?" asked Joker.

"If anyone pulls a gun on us, I will handle it." She kissed her boys on their heads, and off they went to create chaos.

"I'm going in first, and I'll knock out the power. Then you two come in and take care of the rest. If the police are there before we leave, I'll act as your hostage. It will take me ten minutes from the time I enter the bank until I have the power out. Wait until then. See you soon."

She hid her gun under her jacket and took off her mask to not attract attention. She used her usual lipstick trick to get past security and cut the power. All the lights, and cameras, and computers went out. Like clockwork, her boys came in, firing shots in the air. People screamed, but no one was hurt. The Joker used some of his beloved explosives to break into a vault, and the boys loaded as much money as they could carry into their van. Police were waiting for them outside, but Ruby put up an act that could've won her an Academy Award. The Joker put a gun to her head and she screamed and begged him not to kill her. However, she still did not anyone see her face, just in case they needed her as a hostage in the future. She buried her face in his shoulder, making her cries audible to those around her. He dragged her to the van and they drove off. "Well done, boys." Ruby put her mask back on.

"Dammit! Now we have a hostage situation," said Commissioner Gordon, who was not at all eager to begin another round of games with the Joker. He knew he needed help, and he knew just who to ask. "At least we got the license number on the van."

Meanwhile, Ruby had the Joker blow up the van, in exchange for a child molester's van which Ruby had used her "persuasion" to get. "Now let's divide the money in seven equal shares." After this was done, they drove to seven different locations. "This is going to make some orphans very happy." She simply walked up to each orphanage, rang the doorbell, and left the money on the doorstep. "Good job today, boys."

Unknown to most people in the world, Bruce Wayne would lose a night of sleep, worrying about that poor woman who had been taken hostage by the Joker.


	7. Chapter 7

And so the next few weeks passed like this, stealing from thugs and donating to worthy causes. They were getting their work done, and the boys seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ruby was proud of what they had done, but she felt it was time to sets their goals on a bigger prize. The boys would be more than eager to help her.

That morning's breakfast consisted of French toasted waffles, one of Ruby's original creations. She hadn't been humming at all as she cooked today, as she usually did.

"Boys," she said as they ate, "How do you feel about murder and revenge?"

"My favorite pastimes," said the Joker.

"Good. You're going to help me with them."

"Whose murder? And revenge for what?" asked Dr. Crane.

"You ask a lot of questions. I like that. And a week from now, sooner if we work quickly, we'll be committing the murder of Dr. Collins of the Arkham Asylum. I'm sure you're both familiar with him."

The three of them were silent for a moment. Ruby decided to change the subject.

"I think it's time we got on a first name basis with each other. I consider you two to be my family, and I'd like to call you 'Jonathan' instead of Dr. Crane, not meaning any disrespect to your title of course."

"I'll let you call me by my first name if Joker tells us his," said Jonathan.

"That's right. No one knows your real name, Mr. Joker."

"No way," was all he said.

"Oh come on, won't it be nice to have some companionship with another human being?" asked Ruby.

"Companionship gets people killed."

"Not when your companion is a powerful witch. I'd think of it as an asset. Now, tell us your name, just your first name." Ruby used her magic to get him talking. She could see him trying to resist the spell.

"Jack," he said, crumbling under her power.

"See, Jack, that wasn't so hard."

Jack glared at her.

"Well, boys, it's time to get ready to visit Dr. Collins. I'll be making plans in my room. Jonathan, go make sure our knives in the garage are nice and clean, and Jack, you do the dishes."

"How come he gets the fun job?" asked Jack.

"You can take turns handling the deadly weapons, boys. And the more you complain, Jack, the more I'll strip away your ability to speak." Ruby headed to her room to create her flawless scheme.

On his way to the garage, Jonathan passed Ruby's bedroom. He heard a peculiar noise coming from it. He leaned in a pressed his ears against the door. It sounded like Ruby was… crying. He peeked through the keyhole. She was sitting on her bed, looking down at something in her lap, but he couldn't see what. When she headed for the door, he hurriedly went on his way.

"Did you hear Ruby crying in her room earlier? I wonder what that was about," Jonathan later said to Jack.

"She's a woman. That's what they do," said Jack.

So, Jonathan didn't give it another thought. Women were such temperamental beings.

* * *

Within Gotham city, Commissioner James Gordon was taking a moment away from the chaos of work to spend time with his family. When he went outside to get the mail, he did not expect the visitor that had been waiting there for him. He saw the dark figure, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Jeez! You scared the Hell out of me," he said.

"I going to help capture the Joker again," said Batman.

"You always get straight down to business, don't you?"

"I've already prepared antidotes to Scarecrow's fear toxin."

"Are you sure your involvement is a good idea? Everyone still thinks you're a murderer; you might only make the city panic even more."

"Not if they don't know we're working together."

"I don't like keeping secrets from my colleagues."

"We don't have a choice. We need to catch these guys to prevent what happened last time."

Gordon sighed. "Alright, I guess that's our best bet. Nice to work with you again."

And they shook hands like old friends. Bruce swore to himself that he would make Gotham City safe again, no matter what it cost him.

* * *

**So Dr. Collins is another character I created. WARNING: the next chapter gets a little violent, but nothing too bad. Use discretion.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Guess what, boys. I learned a new spell! Don't get too excited, it might only save your lives someday. It's a spell for protection and good luck. It's not foolproof, but I figured you could use some luck. And all you have to do is drink a potion and carry a little bag in your pocket."

"I'm not taking any magic potion," said Jack.

"Well it's a good thing I put it in your coffees." She pulled out two small leather bags tied up with strings. "As long as you have these with you, you'll have some of my magic protecting you. And now I'll seal the spell." She kissed both of them and their foreheads. "A mother's love is the most powerful protection anyone can have."

"Or a handgun," said Jack.

"Oh hush." Ruby began chopping lettuce for lunch later. "So, today we were going to kill Dr. Collins, but I figured we should have some fun with it: draw it out and let him know that death is coming."

"So what do you have against Collins?" asked Jonathan.

"I told you. I'm not oblivious to what happens behind the scenes of Arkham," she said, not wanting to go into detail. "So boys, do you have any ideas of how we can make Dr. Collins' last week his worst?"

"Finally, I can put my talents to good use," said Jack.

* * *

Just like any other Monday morning, Dr. Horatio Collins walked into work at Arkham Asylum and checked his mail. He flipped through several memos, files, and paperwork. However, on this particular day, he found something peculiar in his mail. He picked it up. It was a bloody joker card.

It hadn't taken long for Dr. Collins to forget the little surprise in his mail on Monday morning. However, he was reminded of it on Tuesday, when he was walking out of the asylum after work. He walked to his car, and almost dropped his briefcase when he saw it. It was covered in straw and black crow's feathers.

By Wednesday, Collins was growing irritable. He had driven home the previous day in a vandalized car. Teenagers these days had no respect for their elders. In his day, he never would've done something as ridiculous as covering an adult's car with straw and feathers. He checked his mailbox before leaving for work. His fitness DVD's had finally come in. That made his mood slightly better, until he reached the back of the mailbox. From it, he pulled out a little burlap doll. It had on a white doctor's coat much like his. Its little heart had a pin sticking through it.

When Thursday came, Collins was _very_ annoyed at the punks who were trying to scare him with their stupid gimmicks. Whose idea was it to put a doll in his mailbox? He walked out of his garage and got in his car. As he backed out of the driveway, he closed the garage door. When the door came down, he found the message for him. "24 HOURS LEFT" It was written in blood.

Friday, 7 o'clock news: "I'm afraid we have some sad breaking news. Dr. Horatio Collins, 47, was murdered tonight in his home. He was found by his neighbor earlier this evening tied to a scarecrow's post. Police have confirmed that this was the work of Gotham City's two notorious criminals known as the Joker and the Scarecrow. Motive for murder has not yet been determined, but police are urging people to stay calm. They ask that if anyone knows anything about the whereabouts of these criminals, please contact authorities immediately. Dr. Collins was known for his work with the patients at Arkham Asylum. We have some pictures taken from the scene after the body was removed. A warning to viewers: these images are not for those with a weak stomach."

The pictures capture a living room that was once full of expensive furniture and new carpets, but was now in complete ruin. Vases were smashed. Curtains were shredded. A bloody scarecrow's post stood in the center of the room. Straw and playing cards were scattered across the floor. The walls were covered in letters of blood, letters that spelled, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

* * *

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time," said Jack as they left Collins' house.

"Me too," said Ruby. "Boys, I want you to know that I am so proud of you."

Although they couldn't see her face because she was walking in front of them, they noticed that her voice was cracking. "We did a good thing today, cleaning that filth out of the world," a tear ran down her face.

"I like the way you cut into his throat," said Jack, trying to change the subject.

"Thanks, sweetheart," she said, wrapping her arm around him, and much to his displeasure, laying her head on his shoulder. "I love you boys," she said.

* * *

Later, Commissioner Gordon brought Batman to the crime scene. He surveyed the area for clues as to who the next victim would be, or where the Scarecrow and Joker were headed. There were no obituaries or people's pictures with smiley faces painted on them this time, nothing to mark any future targets, but something else caught his eye. He picked up a marigold flower off the floor.

"Please tell me you have good news," said the Commissioner.

"I'll let you decide what's good or bad," said Batman.

"Meaning?"

"I think there's someone else responsible for this murder."

"Who else would do this?" he asked, gesturing towards the cards and the straw on the floor.

"I think the Scarecrow and Joker are working with someone else. They've left their signatures, but this," he held up the marigold, "is new."


	9. Chapter 9

"Alright boys, today we're going to take down some pimps. By 'take down' I mean 'kill all the pimps and liberate the girls.' They run their business in a bar called 'Paradise.' Some of the girls work for free drinks or barely sufficient pay. Others are there because they have nowhere else to go or they're being threatened. So we're going to put a stop to it. How does that sound?"

"Like too much charity work," said Jack.

"Oh come on, Jack, you get to kill lots of people however you want, just not publicly. It'll be fun. We'll be eliminating some stupid, petty criminals to make room for the more sophisticated ones."

"I'd still rather be playing games with the Bat."

"I'll tell you what, if Batman gets in our way, we'll bring him down together. And you have a very special role in our operation today. You're going to act as a customer at Paradise. And no, neither of you going to get the chance to be alone with the girls."

"Gross. I can't imagine what kind of diseases they're carrying," said Jonathan.

"I'm glad you're smart, Jonathan. However, I would like grandchildren someday, boys."

And they spent the next hour in awkward silence.

Before leaving for their mission, Ruby changed into a bright red dress and killer heels that would make any man stop to stare, and make any mother say, "I'm glad that's not _my_ daughter."

To answer the boys' stares she said, "Well I have to dress for the part. I'm not proud of this. I'm just going to pretend I'm looking for a job at the bar."

"No, you look nice," Jonathan said once he found his voice.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or frightened by that comment. Thank you, anyway. Let's get going!"

* * *

"Alright, it's Showtime. You know what to do. And whatever you do, don't take any drinks from this place." Ruby walked into the Paradise bar just outside of Gotham with her disguise and bag of tricks. She knew it was closed at this time, so there would be no witnesses. The room was smoky and reeked of beer. She was alone, so she went behind the bar. Now was the perfect opportunity to add her own special surprise to the drinks. A few minutes later, she heard voices coming from a room in the back.

"I put food in your belly and a roof over your head! When I say 'dance,' you better dance, woman!" shouted a man's voice. A man came storming out of the room.

When he saw Ruby, she said in a seductive voice, "I heard you were hiring."

"Sorry, lady, we have an age limit for our girls."

"Are you sure you don't want someone with more _experience?_ I could show you some of my moves."

"All I want you to show me is how you can make me money."

"Where are your, uh, 'business partners'?"

"They'll be here in a few. What's it matter to you?"

"We wouldn't want them to miss out on the show," she whispered.

Right on cue, Jack walked in, sans the makeup and the purple suit.

"Sorry, man, we're closed. Come back tonight," said the man.

Jack kept coming.

"I said 'come back later.' What's your problem, Smiley?"

"Right now, you are," said Jack, raising a gun to the man's forehead.

"Don't even try to call for help, lover boy," said Ruby, returning to her regular voice. "Where are all of your girls?"

"Go to Hell," said the man.

"What was that?" asked Jack as he pulled a knife from his coat.

"You don't scare me."

"I think we do," said Jack, "You see I know the squealers when I see them, and _you_ have 'squealer' written all over you. So you'd better tell us where all your lovely ladies are before I start getting all razor-happy."

"Most of them are here in their rooms. There are a few more coming tonight," said the man, who was beginning to sweat.

"How many?" asked Ruby.

"I don't know. I don't keep track. About ten."

"Lie!" shouted Jack. He slashed into the man's arm.

"Okay! Sixteen girls. That's all. I swear."

"You disgust me," said Ruby.

"Look if you want money or the girls, take whatever you want. Just please don't kill me."

"I love it when they say that," said Jack.

"Tie him up and hide him somewhere, and don't scare any of the girls," said Ruby.

Jack dragged the man to a broom closet after tying him up and gagging him.

As the man had said, his three "business partners" arrived at the bar a few minutes later.

"Where's Mark? And who are you?" one of them asked Ruby.

"He's taking a sick day. And I'm Scarlett, your new bartender."

"Mark's never taken a sick day in five years."

"Well, why don't I fix you guys some drinks while I explain everything."

"Lady, I don't mean to be rude, but aren't you a little old to be a bartender? I mean, you do know what this place is, right?"

"Looks can be deceiving, fellas." She handed the three of them their drinks.

"So what are we supposed to do? Mark was supposed to meet us here."

"Oh he's here. Jack!" she called.

Jack came out dragging the terrified, bleeding Mark from the closet. The three men pulled out guns, but right on cue, Jonathan came in with his own gun pointed at the pimps.

"You might want to put those guns down, fellas."

"Yeah, why don't you make us!"

"Suit yourselves. _Veneno_"

At the spell, the men began choking and violently gagging on the floor.

"You might be just a bit regretful that you took those drinks from me." She let the men suffer for a moment before asking them, "Would you like me to make it stop?"

They couldn't speak, so they just nodded their heads.

"_Remedium_" They stopped choking, and regained their breaths.

"What the Hell was that, lady?"

"Oh a little thing they call 'magic.' Now, you're going to give me all your PIN numbers and debit cards, unless you'd like to start choking on your own blood."

None of them had any objections. Ruby gave the cards and numbers to Jonathan and said, "Find the nearest ATM. Withdraw everything they have."

"Come on, lady. You can't take all our money. That ain't right!" one of them said.

Ruby bent down to his level and said, "Well, it's not like you'll be needing it."

Jack took that as his cue. He then, in his own words, got razor-happy. When he was done, he put the bodies all sitting at a card table, and spread out the cards like they were playing a game.

"I told you you'd have fun," said Ruby, placing a marigold on the table.

Just then, a few ladies came out with their heels clicking.

"What's going on?" one of them asked.

"We heard noises," said another.

"Wonderful! You're just the girls I wanted to see," said Ruby.

And then, they saw the bodies. They gasped and squealed.

"It's alright. They just got carried away with their game."

"Who are you?" "What did you do?" "Are you going to hurt us?" asked the choir of scared girls.

"Relax, ladies. Hurting you is the last thing on our minds. On the contrary, we're here to help you, but first we had to get your old bosses out of the way. They were horrible to you, anyway."

"How can you help us?" asked a blond one.

"Well, first you're all going to inherit your bosses' money, and then, you're all going to get started on your new lives. Pardon me. I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm called 'Mother.' And this is my son. You may know him as the Joker."

Most of the girls gasped or screamed again, and held each other tight for protection.

"Don't be scared, dears. His bark is much worse than his bite. He doesn't want anyone to know this, but he can actually be a real sweetheart."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"But why would you help people like us?" asked a girl with black hair.

"Because," said Jack, "When an opportunity like this comes around, you don't ask questions."

* * *

After Jonathan returned with bags full of cash (the total ended up being well over a hundred thousand dollars), Ruby sat down all sixteen girls at a big table and gave them each an equal share of the money. Next, she began passing out newspaper ads: ads for apartments, help wanted ads. Next, she handed out brochures for colleges.

"You want us to go to college?" the black-haired one asked Ruby.

"It's a fine way to better yourselves."

"That's really nice, Ma'am, but we're not that smart," said the blond girl.

"Who says? Only with an attitude like that will you fail. If anyone ever tells you you're not good enough for something, practice until you prove 'em wrong."

"I've never had a job that didn't involve men touching me," said a brown-haired girl.

"Well look here in the paper. There's a nice one."

"A nanny? I don't think I'd be good with kids."

"Well how will you know unless you try? Come on, ladies. We are women. We were born with the natural ability to be nurturing and gentle. It's part of who we are. If we can care for a child, then we can care for ourselves," she walked over to a tall girl as she spoke, "and be responsible and wise, and _take care of our bodies_." She looked down at a girl whose eyes were cloudy, like when the light is too bright. She took out a small knife, and held the girl's arm. "You're putting poison in your body." She made a small cut in the girl's arm. She barely flinched. "_Defaeco_" And whatever drugs had been in her system before dripped out of her veins. "Let me make on thing clear: I want you all spending your time, money, and _talents_ responsibly. You all have gifts, and decent lives to live. Now that the men who tried to rule you are gone, nothing is holding you back. Let me see you make something of yourselves."

The brown-haired girl started clapping. And then the black-haired girl crossed her arms.

"What if we don't want to?" she asked.

"What's your name, dear?"

"Jocelyn"

"Well, Jocelyn, it is your choice, but considering your history of regular substance abuse and having multiple lovers at any given time, I'd say you've got about four years before you contract a disease, but you'll be too stoned to notice the symptoms until it's too late. And you're not getting any younger, so sooner or later, you're going to run out of customers who'll buy your body. And then you'll be an outcast, a piece of forgotten trash thrown away to make room for the new. Ask me how I know this, and I'll tell you I can see it in that big, fat smirk on your face. Take it from someone who was raped in an alley before her first kiss, it's time to _wake up_ and stop wasting your life."

Jocelyn was red in the face and speechless. In fact, everyone was speechless.

"So, boys, I believe it's time to go," Ruby said with her voice returning to its less angry state.

"Wait!" Ruby turned around to see the brown-haired girl walking after them.

"Ma'am, what are we supposed to do now?" she asked.

"What is your name?"

"Tina"

"Anything you want, Tina."

* * *

Commissioner Gordon was working late for the millionth time, when a girl came down to the police station in a frenzied state. A couple of the younger officers whistled as she walked by.

"Miss, can I help you with something?" asked the commissioner.

"I have information on who's helping the Joker," she said.

"Sit down, miss. I want you to tell me everything you know. What's your name?"

She brushed back her black hair, "Jocelyn."

And later, there would be a marigold found at Paradise.

* * *

**Author's Note: I want to make it clear that I did not mean to offend anyone with this chapter. If anyone is offended, kindly let me know and I will make changes to the story accordingly.**


	10. Chapter 10

The Commissioner waited on the rooftop near the old Bat signal, where they had planned their rendezvous. As usual, Batman seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I have information on the other killer, the one with the flowers," said Gordon.

"Is it someone you've seen before?"

"No, but I know it's a white woman, late thirties, short brown hair, green eyes, about 5'10". She goes by the alias 'Mother'"

"Anything on where they're hiding?"

"Not yet. I was hoping you could help with that."

"I'll keep an eye out."

"Will I be seeing you in the sky tonight?"

"Actually, I have plans for tonight."

Gordon should've known not to turn his back on Batman, even for a moment. When he looked back, Batman was gone.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bruce Wayne charity event for the Gotham City Children's Hospital. We encourage all you folks at home to call in and donate to the kids who are depending on your generosity for research and treatment, and to help their families stay close by so they can get better as soon as possible," said the woman to the camera.

Crowds of Gotham's wealthiest filed into the banquet hall. They drank the best champagne money could buy, at tables with white tablecloths and glittering centerpieces. A grand crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The rich flooded in with their gowns and jewels, suits and polished shoes.

"Good evening," said Mayor Garcia, standing at a microphone before the guests. "Thank you all for coming. And I'd like us all to give a special thanks to Mr. Bruce Wayne for sponsoring this event tonight." They all gave a round of applause. "We ask all of you at home to please donate to Gotham City Children's Hospital. The number on your screen can help you save children's lives."

BANG!

Ladies screamed. Men ducked for cover. Fearful eyes searched all around for the source of the gunshot.

"So sorry to interrupt," said Ruby under her mask. "You all look like you're having a great time here tonight, well _were_ having a great time." Ruby entered the banquet hall with her boys behind her. "Allow me to introduce myself. I call myself 'Mother.' And I'm sure you all know my two boys here."

"What do you want with us?" asked the Mayor. "We're trying to raise money for charity. Can't you people just leave us alone for one night?"

"How many drinks did it take to make you so bold?" Ruby asked the mayor. "And just FYI, no one try to escape because we have this place surrounded."

"We don't give in to _terrorists threats_."

"Terrorists? Why, no one here is a terrorist. I'm straightening these two boys out, you see. We came only to help."

"How would _you_ help _us?_"

"No, it's not _you_ we're here for. It's the kids. We're all here for the same purpose. No—I take that back. We all _should_ be here to help the sick kids at Gotham Children's Hospital." She walked around to a man sitting at a table in very expensive-looking clothes. She took out her knife and motioned for Jack to bring the cameraman to her

"And what is your name, sir?"

The man only stared at her fearfully.

So, Ruby took her knife and stabbed it into the table.

With a flinch he said, "James Smith."

"And did you come here to raise money for sick children, Mr. Smith?"

"Yes, yes, we all did." He was shaking terribly now.

"Then tell me, exactly how much money did _you_ donate, Mr. Smith? And don't lie." She pointed a gun at his head.

"Ten thousand dollars."

"Did you know, Mr. Smith, that the cost for the hospital to operate for a single day is 1.4 million dollars?"

"No"

"Now tell us, Mr. Smith, what is your annual salary?"

Mr. Smith began to sweat. "Eighteen million dollars."

"Hmm, okay. And is this your wife, Mr. Smith?" she asked, gesturing towards the woman sitting next to him.

"You leave my wife alone."

"Relax, Mr. Smith. I would never harm your lovely wife. That's a beautiful necklace she's wearing. Was that a gift you gave her?"

"Yes. It was an anniversary present."

"How sweet. And how much did that necklace cost, Mr. Smith?"

He gulped. "Sixteen thousand dollars."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean you spent more money on a piece of jewelry than you gave to the hospital? And those are very nice cufflinks you're wearing, Mr. Smith. I'd estimate they're worth about four thousand dollars. So that means you've spent double the amount of money on luxuries for yourself than you did for sick children. This, people of Gotham, is the injustice we came eliminate. We came to balance the scales of power, and set things right."

"Can't you just leave us alone? What do you want with us?"

"I want you to give all the cash you have on you to Gotham City Children's Hospital."

"But I—"

"I want you to look into that camera and tell those sick kids that they won't get their medicine because you'd rather spend your money on presents for yourself."

Mr. Smith got out his wallet and painfully set out what amounted to be about nine hundred dollars.

"Everyone, get your wallets out!" shouted Ruby. She ripped away Mrs. Smith's necklace and Mr. Smith's cufflinks and stuffed them in her bag. Jack and Jonathan then proceeded to demand money and valuables from the rich at gunpoint. Ruby couldn't help but laugh.

"You with the camera, turn that thing towards me," she said to a cameraman.

He followed her orders, seeing the gun in her hand.

"To anyone who may want to make an enemy out of me: don't." She spoke to the whole of Gotham City now. "I dare you to try and stop us. I dare you to try and take this money away from children who need and deserve it more than anyone else. This is what it's come to now— the rich and powerful must be forced down from their pedestals for the common people to get a share of the wealth. Gotham City, I am ashamed of you." And with that final note, she used her magic to make every camera burst.

Ruby and her boys loaded the money and jewels into several bags. "Don't look so glum," she said to the millionaires, "You're saving children's lives today."

And then, all the lights went dark. Ruby heard the sound of breaking glass. She reached into her bag and pulled out her yellow powder. She took a handful and threw it to the ground. She then lit a match and threw on the pile of powder. The powder erupted in bright yellow flames, but gave off no heat.

Ruby looked up to see none other than the Batman himself… who had Jonathan in a chokehold.

"Let him go now," she demanded in a stern voice.

"Return what you stole from these people," Batman relied.

"You're not very clever, are you?" She pointed her gun at the nearest millionaire.

Batman was forced to release Jonathan. Jack burst out laughing. He looked as if he might just fly right off the ground, he was so excited.

"These are good people," Batman said, "They've earned every cent of money they own."

"Your pathetic attempts at persuasion are boring me. Boys, it's time to go."

"Sorry, Mommy Dearest. This is just too much fun to leave," said Jack. He then swung a fist at Batman. Batman responded by punching Jack in the face.

Jack laughed and said, "I've missed you too!"

"Stop!" Ruby shouted at Jack. "_Parere!_" And she put him under her spell again.

She could almost see Jack fighting against the spell, but her magic was too strong. Batman came for another swing, but Ruby took her other powder and threw it in his face, leaving him in a dizzy, stumbling state.

"Boys, we're leaving." And they did, with bags of cash and jewelry that would later be brought to Gotham City Children's Hospital. However, they didn't know they were taking with them a tracking device in the shape of a bat.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**If you hate the villains in this story, I hope to change your mind with this chapter. :) Also, I'm having trouble deciding if I should rate this story T or M. After reading this chapter, feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Batman stumbled out of the dining hall. The effects of that powder the woman had thrown at him was beginning to wear off, but still left him dizzy and disoriented. He lumbered through the corridors, trying to chase after the "Mother."

He heard footsteps coming from around the corner and his heart sank. He couldn't handle a fight right now, not when he could hardly walk. He saw a shadow on the wall and tried to take a defensive stance.

"I got here just in time, didn't I?" said Gordon as he ran to help Batman. "What happened to you?"

"Mother," was the only word he could muster.

"Where did she go?"

"Tracking her," he said between heavy breaths. He handed Gordon the device to locate the woman. Gordon could see a little red dot on the screen representing her moving down the roads of Gotham.

"I'll send every man we have after her, but we've got to get you back on your feet first."

"No. I'll be fine. Find them first. Take this." He handed Gordon a black walkie talkie-like object. "Go."

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Go," Batman asserted. And Gordon ran to chase after the three criminals in hot pursuit.

* * *

Ruby applied more lipstick as Jonathan drove them away from the charity event. "I feel tonight went well, boys." Ruby set the lipstick back in her bag, but her hand touched something unfamiliar in her bag. She pulled out the bat-shaped tracker from the bag and held it up. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. It seems the Batman isn't as stupid as I thought."

Jack nearly jumped out of his seat with excitement. He shoved his way to the driver's seat and pushed Jonathan out of the way. "Time for a good old-fashioned car chase!"

"No, no, Jack. There's an easier way." Ruby rolled down the window. Seeing the car driving next to them with its windows also down, she took the tracker and tossed it into the backseat of it. At the next intersection, both vehicles drove off in opposite directions.

And Ruby's was not the vehicle that was trailed by a fleet of police cars just a few moments later.

* * *

As Batman came to his senses, he made his way to the Batmobile. He zoomed down the city streets (with many stares and gasps from pedestrians he passed). He followed the sound of police sirens until he came to a street totally full of police cars surrounding an old van. An old man stood outside of it, looking absolutely bewildered and petrified at the police with their guns pointed at him.

Realization dawned on him. "Of course," Bruce thought, "She created a decoy." He sped off in the Batmobile to search the rest of the city.

That's when the sound of gunshots filled the air. which the Batmoblie chased after moments later. As the Batmobile turned the corner and saw a car with a man in a purple suit hanging his head out the window, firing shots into the air. The car was coming to the outskirts of the city, and pulling into what looked like an abandoned warehouse. He contacted Gordon on the walkie talkie.

"I found them. They're in an abandoned warehouse outside the city. The man you've been tracking was a decoy."

"Alright, I'm on my way," said Gordon.

Batman stepped out of the Batmobile and quietly followed the three into the warehouse, going unnoticed.

"Jack! What the Hell were you thinking?" he heard the woman shout. He carefully listened from behind tall stacks of empty crates.

"Oh, I smell a Bat," said the woman. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she called out in the warehouse.

Batman was not about to give himself away yet.

"I'm only going to say this once: this is your last chance to surrender. If it's peace you want, then you'll show yourself now," said Ruby. All she got in return was silence. "Okay, I see you need some convincing. Boys, drop your weapons."

Jack and Jonathan did so, emptying their pockets of all items meant to break people.

"_All_ of your weapons, boys."

And they dropped what knives, explosives, etc. that they had tried to hide. However, Jack had many pockets, many places to hide weapons. He took several grenades from his coat pockets, a few knives from up his sleeves, and many more various weapons one after another, from various hiding places in his clothes. This whole ordeal took a few minutes.

Footsteps of police officers could then be heard coming to the warehouse. Batman saw this as his perfect opportunity to come out of hiding. He held up a gun and aimed at her boys.

"That will be the last thing you ever do," warned Ruby.

He fired, and before Ruby could blink, her boys had darts in their necks, and they were tranquilized like wild animals. She sensed the next dart coming for her, and stopped it midair with her mind. Gotham policemen dragged her boys away.

"Don't touch my children!" With a wave of her hand, the cops started coughing up blood. Batman grabbed her and held her back. She used no spells, no tricks, just raw power, and burned through Batman's sleeves with her hands. She broke free of his grip. She ran to her boys, until two dozen officers arrived with their guns aimed at her.

"Ma'am, it would be in your best interest to surrender now," said the Commissioner.

"Make love, not war," said Ruby. She grabbed Batman, pulled him close and planted her kiss on his lips. His body went rigid as the spell took over. His muscles twitched in spasms, the result of a battle between Ruby's spell and Batman's will to keep control over his own body.

It was a losing battle. Batman took an explosive from his belt and threw it at the police. It sent the officers scrambling to take cover. Amidst the thick smoke and small fires that had broken out, Ruby tried to find her way to her boys without being seen by the police. And then she was stopped by a hand pulling her back. She looked over her shoulder and saw none other than the Dark Knight himself, clearly resisting her control now.

She tried to reach into her bag, but Batman grabbed her arm first. She slipped out away from him and pulled out from her bag a small, red capsule. She crushed it in her hands. She rubbed her hands together for a second, and when she pulled them apart, they held orbs of fire which gave her no burns. She threw some of the fire at the Bat, which he dodged quickly. She then threw as much fire as she could at him, all at once, in an attempt to distract him.

While the Batman was occupied with avoiding the flames, Ruby went to find her boys. The smoke was dissipating, making it much easier to see and breathe. Ruby went to the spot where she had last seen Jack and Jonathan, but they were nowhere to be found. She looked all around, but couldn't see either of them anywhere.

"They'll be taken to Arkham, where you should be," said Batman in his gruff voice, no longer surrounded by fire.

Ruby, almost entirely ignoring his comment, pulled a smoke bomb from her bag and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Ruby stormed home and got out her cauldron. She scrambled around grabbing ingredients left and right, everything she needed for a healing potion. Her hands were shaking with worry. If anything happens to them…

No! She wouldn't let anything happen to them. She had to get to work. Her boys were depending on her.

She tossed the ingredients into the cauldron, saying the incantation as it brewed.

"_Eleka nahmen nahmen atum atum eleka nahmen_"

She silently prayed to whatever being might be out there: please don't let my boys get hurt.

As soon as it was done, she quickly filled two vials of the potion and stuffed them in her bag. She strapped a gun and a knife to her hips. Not even bothering to waste a second to put on her mask, she fled to Arkham Asylum.

She simply shot her way through the back door and let herself in. She paid no attention to the shrieking or confused people she passed as she searched for her children. She only stopped once or twice to prevent someone from raising alarm. She might've beaten a couple of nurses unconscious; she wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing.

She broke her way into the room where they were keeping Jonathan. He was lying on the floor. His face was bloody and his eyes were unseeing. For a moment, she feared the worst. She thought she had lost him, until he took a struggled breath. He didn't even seem aware that she was there. He made not a single movement; he just stared into space.

"Oh, baby," she said. She ran to her child. She swallowed the coming tears. "It's alright. Mother's here. I'm taking you home. You'll be safe." She tried to provide all the comfort she could, unable to imagine what he had just been through. She shuffled through her bag and found the small glass bottle of the potion she had prepared. All it took was a few drops in his mouth.

"Mother?" he said, gradually coming out of whatever trance he'd been in.

"That's right. I'm here. I'm getting you out of here."

He sat up with Ruby's help. His whole body felt heavy and weak.

"Where's Jack?"

"Probably in the East Wing."

"Come with me." With some difficulty, she helped him stand. He was shaking all over. Ruby thought he would collapse, but somehow he pushed on. She had to help support him as he walked.

They made their way to the East Wing, where Ruby threw someone against the wall and demanded to know what room the Joker was in. With just one intimidating look, she had her answer.

Jack was strapped to a chair, bleeding and unconscious. His shirt was unbuttoned, so Ruby could see all the cuts and bruises on him. Someone had carved the word "FREAK" on his chest.

"Jack, wake up. You need to wake up. Mother's here. I'm taking you home." She unstrapped him and applied the healing potion to the cuts.

Jack began to mutter something incoherent. Thank goodness— a sign of life. They helped him stand as well, although he seemed unaware of what was happening. They helped him walk out of the room as Ruby heard the security guards running down the hall coming for them. She reached into her bag and pulled out a little, glass sphere. Just as the guards came in sight. She smashed the sphere to the ground and flames erupted from it, completely blocking the guards from the three of them. Escaping from the asylum, Ruby made a silent vow that Hell would come to Arkham, which had caused her boys pain.

* * *

Ruby and Jonathan helped Jack get into the house and into bed, as Ruby insisted. Jack's wounds had stopped bleeding, so all he needed were some bandages. Afterwards, she put Jonathan to bed too. In his bedroom, she hung a dream catcher off the ceiling. "You'll probably need this."

"You know those don't actually work."

"Believe me; they do when a real witch makes them." She pulled up the blankets over him, and he was exhausted enough that he didn't protest. "Get some rest. I love you." She closed the curtains, and by the time she left the room, he was asleep.

She returned to him to wipe the blood away and clean the scratches on his face. While her boys were sleeping, she decided to make a dream catcher for Jack as she sat at his bedside. She twisted the string around and around, and hummed an old lullaby she knew.

Some time later, Jack began to stir. "You wanna know how I got these scars?" he asked. Then he burst out in hysterical laughter.

"Ooh! I've always wanted to know what a scalpel feels like!"

"Baby, what's wrong?" Ruby asked him. She leapt out of her chair to be at his side, just as he began violently thrashing on he bed.

"I'd love to see what you can do with that knife!" he shouted.

Ruby was horrified and confused for a moment, then she whispered under her breath, "He's hallucinating," as it dawned on her. "JONATHAN!" she screamed. She attempted to hold Jack down, and talk him out of this mad rage, but he was too strong.

"Can we try the waterboarding again? It was refreshing," he said in his hysteria. It would make Ruby sick to imagine what he was seeing right now.

Jonathan came into the room, with recent sleep still apparent around his eyes. "Help me hold him down!" Ruby screamed. Suddenly very alarmed, Jonathan did as he was told.

"Jack, listen to me. Everything's okay. You're home now," Ruby tried to talk him into sense, but he didn't hear any of it. Ruby then ran into her kitchen and went straight for her cabinet of potions and other tonics. When she found what she wanted, she bolted back to Jack. Jonathan was still wrestling with Jack.

"Why don't you make that knife a little sharper? That'd be more fun!" Jack shouted between maniacal chuckles. Ruby took her potion and poured it onto a rag, which she used to cover Jack's mouth and nose. As he inhaled the potion, he began to relax, and Jonathan didn't have to hold him down anymore.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Ruby said comfortingly.

Jack said as the potion dragged him into a delirious sleep, "You think you're pretty smart, don't you? Collins thought he was smart. Look where that landed him. You're all dead. All your little worlds are about to come to an end, and it won't be pretty. Believe me, I know what's coming for you, and it'll make you scream until you all loose your minds: my mother." And he closed his eyes.

* * *

Ruby stayed with Jack and did all she could to make him comfortable, and she began to grow curious of what his hallucinations had made him see. After consulting her spell book, she decided to use and old trick to see into his mind.

"_Scrutans mens, considerandam praeteritum_," she chanted. She put her hands on Jack's head and focused on clearing her mind. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths until she reached into Jack's memories.

The images of memories flashed by: Arkham nurses waving knives and scalpels in front of Jack's face and laughing, their fists meeting his face, his blood dripping to the floor.

Back in real time, Ruby had to bite her tongue to keep herself from screaming. She clenched her fists. She looked at Jack, who was now just like a scarred, peacefully sleeping child. How could anyone dare hurt him? Well, they certainly weren't going to get away with it.

She thought of the countless people who had seen this man on the news, seen the blood, seen the fire. That man had been a symbol of terror for the city, an incarnation of everyone's childhood nightmares. He'd seemed to be invincible, although many wished he would die. Now that very same man was entirely dependent on Ruby for survival. That very same man was now tucked in bed, in danger of his own nightmares. If the people of Gotham could see him now, what would they think? If they could see him now.

* * *

**Another Note: the first spell in this chapter is from the song "No Good Deed" for all the Wicked fans. This is sort of Ruby's No Good Deed moment. If this chapter seemed confusing, explanations are coming in the next one.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Gotham City was shocked last night when none other than the Batman made his first appearance in months as he chased after several criminals who had just committed robbery at Bruce Wayne's charity even for the Gotham City Children's Hospital," the pretty news anchor reported. "But what might be most shocking is the new criminal who has risen in Gotham. She was seen at the charity event with the Joker and the Scarecrow, demanding that the wealthy be more charitable. Who is this woman? Another deadly masked vigilante? Or a Robin Hood trying to balance the scales of justice? Only time will tell." Alfred turned off the television so it wouldn't disturb Master Wayne.

Bruce paced as he contemplated how to deal with the Joker and Scarecrow being broken out of Arkham _again_. "Alfred, I need you to help me find out who this 'Mother' is. Gordon gave me the footage from Arkham before the police could get their hands on it. She wasn't wearing her mask."

"Will do, sir."

* * *

Once Ruby had gotten Jack settled, she turned her attention to Jonathan. She gave him all the coddling any mother would; she made him tea and put a blanket over his shoulders where he sat at the dining room table. They were mostly silent until Ruby asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he lied.

Ruby, of course, could sense the lies. She gently rubbed his shoulders and nearly cried out, "Oh baby, I'm so sorry." She buried her face in his neck. "I never should've let you out of my sight."

Jonathan looked into Ruby's tearful eyes. No one had ever looked at him with such care and concern. Even his own grandmother had been a wicked old crone. Why was this strange woman whom he had only known for a few months crying over him? Could it be true that she was more than just a useful ally, just another player in the dangerous games of Gotham City?

Ruby was definitely not a prime example of what he would call 'sane,' but Jonathan had spent his whole life around crazies. He couldn't imagine life without a little walk on the side of madness, so what was wrong with calling this strange but kind woman a friend? What was wrong with letting himself care?

Jonathan said nothing, but made the slightest movement to touch Ruby's hand.

Ruby smiled to herself. "I think you're going to be just fine," she said. Then she went to go check on Jack.

* * *

Jack's eyes slowly fluttered open. Ruby tensed up, afraid he would be in another hysterical fit, but he merely stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. Ruby sat by him and took his hand. He slowly made his way to a sitting position and stared at Ruby, like he was looking at her, but not really seeing her.

Jack was a completely different person. The fire behind his eyes was extinguished. The green had all but faded from his hair, and the only dark circles around his eyes came from weariness. It was as if his mind was somewhere else, and all the only thing present now was now was an empty shell of a person.

Ruby sat on the bed beside him. She did not know what was the right thing to say at this moment, so she said what her first instinct told her to say: "Are you alright?"

After a moment's pause, as if he was putting great thought into his answer, he said "yes." His voice was not the usual husky growl that scared many a victim; it was calm and unthreatening. For once, the Joker was not on offense. For once, his guard was down.

"I understand if you're angry. For what it's worth, I'm so sorry, but I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

Jack made no significant response to her comment, but simply gave a short sigh and laid back down on the bed, continuing his stare at the ceiling.

"Get some rest. I'll be close if you need me."

After she made sure the boys would be fine on their own for a while, Ruby knew what she had to do. She went back to the same abandoned warehouse at which they had their latest confrontation with Batman. It didn't take much to get his attention- just a few shots and a flare gun fired in the air. She didn't bother to put on her mask; she concluded that Batman most likely had worked out her identity already. All she had to do now was wait for him to come.

It wasn't long before the Batmobile came whizzing through the streets and the Bat himself entered the warehouse, prepared to fight.

"You can put those batarangs down; I'm alone, and I just want to talk," Ruby said to him.

"You're making a habit of breaking criminals out of Arkham, Ms. Cassidy."

"So you_ have_ found out who I really am. I'm impressed, but not in the least bit surprised."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't drag you to Arkham myself right now."

"Because you couldn't if you tried, but, even so, I don't think you want to stop me just yet." Ruby read him like a book. "You don't want to stop me because you know I'm right."

"You murder and steal and call it 'justice.' That doesn't sound like justice to me."

"I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it. I see it as weeding out the garden so flowers can grow."

"You can't value one life over another."

"Really? You'd protect the lives of murderers and drug dealers instead of the people who actually need help."

"I could say the same to you."

"Don't worry. I keep my boys on short leashes. If it makes you feel better, you should know that we haven't taken a single innocent life since we've been working together."

"Except that doctor from Arkham."

"_Innocent_," Ruby gave a soft chuckle. "Do you want to know the truth about the lovely Dr. Collins? Do you, Batman? My son had to find out the hard way."

"Your son?"

"Yes, my son Nolan. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 18. Eventually, the time came when I couldn't take care of him anymore. As a single mother, I had to make the difficult decision of sending him to Arkham Asylum, where he could be treated. I visited him every moment I could. Hell, I probably spent more time there than I did at home. He seemed like he was getting used to life there, until I noticed his bruises. I grew suspicious of his caretakers, so I hid a camera in his room on one of my visits. When I watched the tape, I witnessed Dr. Collins and four nurses beating my son. So, naturally, I brought the tape to the police. And when I did, you know what that officer said? You wanna know what that piece of shit told me? He said 'I'm not in charge of babysitting your schizo son.' So I planned to fight to get my son back home, but the next week, he wound up dead. They said it was an accident, but I know better. I don't know if they meant to kill him or if they just weren't caring for him properly, but I know that Collins was as wicked as they come, and I wasn't going to let anyone else suffer because of him."

"Your son didn't deserve what happened to him, but Gotham's changed since then. That abuse would never be tolerated today."

"Then why are there still people in the asylum getting bruises?"

"Killing isn't the answer."

"I don't see why not. I seem to be the only one doing a damn thing about it."

"This is the first I've heard of abuse at Arkham."

"Then maybe you should listen to your enemies more." She put her hands on his head and projected visions of her boys being tortured in his mind. "Five hours locked in a room with his own fear toxin!" She showed him an image of Jonathan lying bloody on the floor. "Electric shock! Slicing into his flesh, deeper and deeper." She showed him Jack with all his cuts and bruises. "He spent the night in a delirious state!" She showed him Jack thrashing and flailing in bed. "All of this, just for trying to help. I'm going to find those responsible and give them Hell."

"I won't let you do that," said Batman when he recovered from the visions.

"You don't 'let me' do anything! I do everything for myself." Ruby reached for her powder to incapacitate the Batman with one hand, and reached for his mask with the other.

* * *

**Author's Note: I do not wish to offend anyone has, or knows someone who has any kind of mental illness. I hope I write about Ruby's schizophrenic son with accuracy. Thank you.**


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